In The Room of Requirement
by Lovestruck Serenity
Summary: Hermione and Draco have been meeting like this for two and a half years now. but everything is about to change. just a little one-shot that i might add to later. Chapter 2 is up!
1. Chapter 1

The hallways are pitch black. I hold my breath as I walk towards the stairs.

'_This isn't right. I know I shouldn't be doing this.'_ I thought to myself as a tear appeared in my eye. I blinked it away before it could even think of falling. No, I knew what was wrong with this picture, it was that there was an extra variable where it shouldn't be.

I reached the third floor corridor that held the room of requirement. As I walked past it's hiding place, one thought went through my mind.

'_Draco'_

An old double door appeared in the wall, and with a shaky hand, opened the door, and went in.

The room was cozy and warm. I fire burned brilliantly in an old-fasioned fireplace, and a full size bed with deep green bedding and a golden canopy on the far wall with a bed-side table next to it, holding a digital clock shining twelve-thirty-five. The smell of sandalwood and white sage flitted through the air _' I must be the first one this time'_

Just then, a strong arm wrapped itself around my waist, a hand found it's way to cover my mouth and I was pulled backwards and against somebody. A deep chuckle rumbled behind me. My entire body stiffened in his grasp.

"Hello my little lioness." Draco said, trying to hold back laughing at my reaction.

I spun around, and my eyes immediately caught his. It was those eyes that first drew me to him. I had caught him staring at me in class, and when I had looked back, he hadn't had enough time to hide behind his facade of loathing. I saw the longing in his eyes. My body quickly molded into his. Feeling completely safe in his arms.

"You scared me half to death!" I teased. "I almost screamed and gave us away." I pouted.

"Now why would you want to do that?" He was grinning from ear to ear. Happiness danced playfully in his eyes. His grip around me loosened slightly, as he leaned down to kiss me. It was a sweet peck, but already my mind was going back to Ron, and how wrong this was. Draco must've seen this because he gently lifted my chin with his thumb and pointer finger, so I was looking straight into his eyes.

"It won't have to be like this for very much longer." He said, completely serious now.

It was true. We had been meeting like this since the middle of fifth year, and now it was almost time for graduation.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this at all." I nearly whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

Draco held me close, and rubbed my back. I wasn't really crying, it was just a few silent tears. It was pointless to cry anymore over it. We both knew whatever we had together had to remain a secret. Draco was a death-eater-in-training who was feeding the Order with information, and I was a part of the golden trio. We had to keep people believing that we still hated each other. The war was coming fast, and we couldn't be together just yet because of it.

"Just wait till graduation." Draco was saying. "There will be no more hiding, I promise. And you won't have to deal with Weasel ever again."

"It's not that I don't want to deal with him." I mumbled into his shirt. "He's my friend, and I just don't want to lie to him like this."

"I don't like doing this to Pansy either. She used to be my best friend back when we were kids. Yes, she's a whore now, but I still don't like using her. It goes against everything my mother taught me as a kid."

There was a pause. I laid my head on his chest, and tried to relax. Just breathing in his scent made me happy. I didn't get to be with him like this very often. We would sneak out of our rooms twice a month to come see each other, but every time we had to leave again, it hurt more and more. It was beginning to become unbearable.

"I know a way we can end this." He said suddenly

I moved away only slightly to glance up into his eyes. He looked vulnerable. Something I've only seen on him once, back when he admitted to 'not completely and totally hating, well, sorta kinda liking me'

"Hermione, do you love me?" he asked, looking straight in my eyes.

I felt my chest tighten, as if my heart folded in on itself and was pulling everything else in around it as a shield. We had never touched the subject of love in the two and a half years we'd been doing this. I thought it was for the best then, but now, with him staring into my eyes, looking like a little vulnerable child again, I had to face it. I closed my eyes, and asked myself the same question. _'Do I love Draco Malfoy?'_

I opened my eyes, stared right into his, and held my breath for a moment. "Yes"

His smile made my stomach flutter, and my head felt all light and bubbly. I rose up on my tip-toes and kissed him. Very quickly the kiss deepened, and I showed him just how much I loved him in that kiss, and he showed me his love back.

When we broke apart, both of us were breathing hard. Draco pulled away slightly to reach into his pants pocket. "Hermione," he said, his voice still raw from the kiss.

I looked up into his cool gray eyes, that have turned into molten silver.

"I love you, and there is nobody else that I could ever feel this way for. Every night, my last thoughts are of you, and every morning, I get out of bed just so I can see you. You complete me in every way. What I lack, you have in abundance. There isn't anyone I can think of that I could ever see myself with. Every inch of my being, my heart, mind, body, and soul has been begging me to ask you this." he got down on one knee in front of me, and held out a velvet box out to me. "Hermione Granger, will you marry me?"

Draco opened the box, and inside was a diamond ring. Circling the diamond was a silver snake with an emerald eye, and a golden lioness with a ruby eye. The band was platinum and had the words _"Love you eternally" _engraved in the band.

A million thoughts were flying though my head at once. _'What's going to happen now? How are we going to explain this to people? What about the war? Will we be able to act like a normal couple?'_ but the most prominent thought in my head, I said out loud.

"Yes" I said in a hoarse voice.

Draco took the ring from the box, and slid it onto my finger (it fit like a glove). He got up, and swung me around the room, and we eventually landed on the bed. Our kisses were stopped short as Draco trailed across my jaw, and down my neck. I flung off my shirt, and he unclasped my bra. I unbuttoned his shirt, and wriggled out of my skirt.

"Are you sure?" he asked me when his delicious lips reached mine again. Although we had slept in the same bed every time we snuck out, he never pressured me to do anything like this before. He knew I was a virgin, and he respected my decision to wait until marriage.

"Yes" I said breathlessly. I had never been more sure of who I was going to give my virginity to than I was in that second.

With that, he took me. He took all of me. It hurt at first, but it was a good ache, and I wanted more of it. I don't remember when, or how, but I had gotten on top and was riding him the best I could. Working him to get more pleasure (and pain). I wanted it. I wanted him. This was right. There was one thought pulsing in my brain, keeping the rhythm of my motion. _'Draco'_ and that is what I screamed when I reached my climax. He reached his a second later, and we both collapsed in an entangled heap on the bed.

I woke up to a kiss on the forehead, and strong arms surrounding me. I opened my eyes and saw Draco smiling down at me.

"Good morning my beautiful fiancé`" he said.

The previous night came crashing down on me. "Draco! I'm not a virgin anymore!" I said stupidly. I mentally kicked myself for that one.

He just smiled at me like I was a little child who just pointed out an airplane in the sky. "I love you, you know that?" he said dreamily

I snapped back to reality right then. "Draco, how is this going to work? We can't come out about ourselves yet. We haven't even finished school. This doesn't make sense. We'll have everybody against us."

"Don't worry. We're going to make it through this. It's time we test to see who our real friends really are. Who will accept us, and who were never really our friends to begin with."


	2. Potions Class

The next day after breakfast, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking down to the dungeons for double potions class with the Slytherins. Ron had his arm wrapped around Hermione's waist while Harry was walking on the other side of Hermione.

"I really don't know why they still have us paired with the Slytherins for potions. The entire staff knows how much we hate them. What's the point in putting two houses that can't stand each other in the same classroom? That's just asking for a fight." Ron said as they were getting close to Snape's classroom

"Really Ron, you would think that after seven years of being in this school with a quarter of our population being Slytherins that you would learn to accept them by now." Hermione stated

"You know that the Weasleys have never liked Slytherins 'Mione. It's in my blood." Ron jutted his thumb into the hollow of his chest. Ron had really grown into his wiry over the years he had been at Hogwarts. Quidditch had really done him well. Ron had even gotten accepted as one of the Chudley Cannons after he graduates. Harry however, just got the muscles he would need when he becomes an auror.

They got into the classroom and sat in their regular seats, but before Ron could sit down next to Hermione, Draco swept in and sat right down.

"What the hell do you think you're doin' Malfoy?" Ron asked

"Sitting next to the girl I love. Do you mind Weaselbee?" Draco asked while putting his arm around Hermione. Hermione looked at him as if he was crazy. Never in the few years they had been together had they ever been even close to that open about their relationship. Draco smiled at her and gave her a quick peck on the temple.

"Hermione! What the hell do you think your doin' lettin' this Ferret touch you? Let alone put his slimey lips on you. Come on 'Mione, let's sit somewhere else." Ron was throughly annoyed now.

Hermione looked at Draco for some sign of purpose to this public display of his love toward her.

Draco noticed her quizzical look, and turned to give her a hug. "It's alright." he whispered into her ear, "It's safe for right now. We better get your friends used to this." That's when Hermione noticed that Draco was the only Slytherin yet in the classroom. And that it was still the four of them, apart from Ginny who had joined them.

"What's going on over here Malfoy?" Harry asked as he came over to where they were, with Ginny coming along beside him. Ginny looked over at Hermione, and with that one look, Hermione knew that she'd be bombarded with questions later from her fiery-headed friend.

Hermione knew she had to go about this gently. And not tell them the entire story just yet. The last thing she wanted to do was alienate herself from her best friends. "Draco, you know that I'm with Ron, so your display is really unnecessary." She started to say, and Ron got a very smug look on his face, and she could tell that she was hurting Draco. "I love you, and you know that. You are a very good friend." just then, and Slytherin walked in. "But please, go sit down. Your bothering my boyfriend." Hermione finished in a hurry. This was going to be trickier than she thought.

After another ten minutes, the class filled up, and Snape barged through the door to begin a lesson on how to make a potion that will turn a feather into a bird.

When Hermione was about to put her brown feather into her cauldron, paper bird came flying right in front of her, and landed on her workplace. When she touched it, it unfolded itself and inside was a message.

_Hermione my love, _

_Potter, Ginny, and Weaselbee need to get used to the idea_

_of us being together. We can do this. As long as there are _

_no other Slytherins around, we can be "us". Three more _

_weeks my love, that's it. But I encourage you to tell Ginny_

_about us. I can tell that she will be a lot more understanding_

_then the boys will. _

_Your Draco_

Hermione looked over at Ron to see if he was reading over her shoulder. Sure enough he had stopped his conversation with Dean long enough to notice her staring at the paper. "Who the hell made the defective bird? You just touched the damned thing and it destroyed itself." he said.

"I don't know. It just landed here." Hermione said and took the paper. Pretending to turn around to fold it she looked up at Draco and mouthed _"Why can't he see the writing?"_ Draco gave her a small smile and put his hand on his wand. _"Of course he enchanted it. He's a pure-blood wizard. Everything he does he makes enchanted!" _Hermione thought to herself sarcastically.

She quickly finished the potion, and told Ron to take care of the little brown sparrow that would appear while she scribbled back a reply.

_Draco,_

_I will talk to Ginny about you, and she will keep it a secret_

_for me as long as I need her to. You can't be so blunt about _

_our love yet around Ron and Harry yet. We need to let them _

_get used to the idea of us being friends before anything else_

_ok? You know I love you with all my heart, and if you say so,_

_we will be together soon. I have a feeling that after tonight_

_we will be able to be completely "ourselves" around Ginny._

_Yours Forever,_

_Hermione_

_PS: I love you_

Hermione quickly blew on the paper to dry the ink as fast she could, but instead, the bird refolded itself, and flew back to Draco. Hermione looked back, and Draco gave her a smug look. This was going to be a big adventure.


	3. In the Dormitory

Later that night in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione and Ginny were sitting on one of the couches watching the boys play wizard's chess. Ginny looked very jittery, until she finally nudged Hermione with her elbow. Hermione looked at Ginny, and the red-haired girl nodded towards the staircase to the girls dormitory.

Hermione yawned, "I think I'll be heading to bed now. Tell me who wins in the morning, will ya Gin?" she asked while standing up and stretching.

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit tired myself, and you know the boys will tell us all about it anyway." She said as she hauled herself up off the couch. Hermione gave Ron a quick peck on the lips and waited at the bottom of the stairs for Ginny. Ginny lifted Harry's face from the game, and started to give him a long kiss goodnight.

Ron grimaced, and after about a minute, "Would ya get off my sister all ready?" he asked, covering his eyes. Ginny broke away from Harry and gave her brother a glare before going over to Hermione and hurrying up the stairs.

Harry gave Ron a sheepish look from across the board. "Knight to H5." Ron said. And his knight took Harry's pawn.

DHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDHDH

Up in the dormitory, Hermione was sitting at the head of her bed with Ginny sitting at the foot, looking at her anxiously.

"So! Tell me everything! What was Malfoy talking about when he called you the girl he loved? Since when have you guys been friends? Did you know he loved you? Why have you been keeping this from me?" Ginny asked rapid fire at Hermione, who smiled at her friend.

"Promise that whatever I tell you will stay here, and you will keep it an absolute secret?" Hermione asked.

"Well duh! Come on 'Mione, I can tell there's a good reason why we weren't talking about it around our boyfriends. That, and cause Ron has such a hot head, that if we did he would probably rise up off the ground from all the hot air! So come on! Tell me!" Ginny begged.

"Ok, well....where should I start?" Hermione asked. Seriously wondering how far back she should go to explain it properly.

"Just start when you and Draco started to become friends, and go from there." Ginny stated.

"Alright, so it started about two and a half years ago." Hermione said, reminiscing.

///////Author's note:::: alright, sorry guys, I know it's a short chapter, but there will be more soon, I promise. I'm getting a case of writer's block. But I will be back soon with a longer chapter for you guys to chew on. I just wanted to make a quick update for you.

~Peace,

Serenity


	4. How it all began

Hermione was walking down the hall, and was about to pass the transfiguration classroom when she heard Professor McGonagall nearly yelling at a student. "I suggest you learn a thing or two from Mrs. Granger while you insist on studying her." She was saying.

Hermione stopped right before the door. _"Study her? Who in Merlin's name would be studying her?" _Hermione thought. She hugged the wall right next to the doorframe to listen. Normally she would consider this rude and would never have done it, but she just had to know who Professor McGonagall thought was 'studying her'.

"I know your hormones are raging young man, but I suggest you learn to control your emotions a bit more in the classroom. At least enough to focus on your school work. You are a brilliant student Mr. Malfoy, but I am afraid your grades will suffer horribly for your lack of effort."

"_Malfoy? Why would Malfoy be studying me? Could it be for Voldemort? Does he have people watching Harry and Ron too? What if he liked her back?" _She quickly shot down that last question as quickly as it entered her head.

"You may be dismissed Mr. Malfoy." She heard her professor say. Hermione quickly disappeared into another corridor. She peeked out of her hiding place just in time for her to see Malfoy come out of the classroom and turn down the hall away from her.

Hermione walked after him. "Malfoy!" she called. Draco glanced back and began to walk faster.

Hermione chased after him, noticing a wrinkled piece of folded paper. _"Those must be his notes he took of me"_ she told herself. Draco took a sharp turn, and she realized exactly where he was headed. Hermione left her chase and took a short way to the room of requirement.

*************

She arrived at the hidden door shortly before he did. Hermione, Harry, and Ron had only just discovered this hidden room earlier that year, but she knew quite well how it worked for they had been using it frequently to train Dumbledore's Army. She spotted Draco a minute later coming from the other way, and quickly vanished inside the room. She hid behind an armchair that had appeared there, and said a quick spell to only allow one other to enter the room that night, and for him not to be allowed exit.

He appeared a second later, and let out a deep sigh as soon as the door had closed. Hermione didn't reveal herself yet. He walked towards the couch near the fire that was burning brightly, and laid down on his back. From her vantage point Hermione could see him unfold the paper and hold it up above his head.

"I could watch you for hours on end

If only you didn't know

If you didn't notice me staring

And then tell me to go

I could dream night after night

Of you in my embrace

But I can only dream of

This never ending chase

For I'll never hold you in my arms

Could never call you mine

Destined to stare from a distance

Until the end of time

I've tried so hard to forget you

Tried so hard to move on

But your smile, your eyes, your laugh

Keeps me hanging on

I don't know what draws me to you

Why I cant get away

I know that your not perfect

Maybe I'll realize someday

I'll continue to keep my distance

Try not to cross the line

Suppress the feelings in my heart

Hope they'll fade in time." He recites.

Hermione is in shock. Not only was such beautiful words coming from Draco Malfoy's mouth, but she also has no clue why McGonagall thought it was about her. The next words that escaped his lips shocked her the most though.

"Hermione, why am I such a coward?" she knew that he didn't know she was here, but also that it was somehow addressed to her. She chose this time to come out.

She stood from where she was crouched behind the chair. "I don't know Malfoy, what are you so scared of?" she asked softly.

Draco jumped up from where he was hiding, or at least, that's what he tried to do. He ended up bolting up off the couch and landing on his face. He quickly recovered and got up. The hand with the poem in it quickly crumpling up the paper and hiding it behind his back.

Draco glared at Hermione, "how long have you been there?" he asked, with a hollow menace to his voice.

Hermione shot one of his own smirks at him. "Long enough to hear what a poet you are. Who was that about anyway? Clearly not Pansy. She is certainly not out of your league." She said.

Draco's cheeks tinged the faintest pink. "Why do you care?" he asked, looking down at the floor in between them, looking awfully exposed.

"I'm just wondering," Hermione took a few slow steps towards him, "Since I overheard McGonagall telling you to focus on school, not on me." She stopped a few feet from him.

Draco flushed, but recovered a second later and looked at her. "Well she was obviously mistaken. Why would I ever write anything like this about a mudblood? Especially one who doesn't know that her place is below me?" he said, sounding very guarded, and closing most of the gap between them to try to intimidate her with his height. For he is around seven inches taller than her.

"You just don't like to admit that I have better test scores than you!"

"You only have better test scores because the professors are easy on you because you're a mudblood!"

"Maybe you would have better scores if you weren't writing fantastic poetry all through class!"

"Just because you don't have anyone to love doesn't mean that I can't have anyone!"

"Who says I don't love anyone? Who says that just because I don't have a daddy who tells me who I can and can't be friends with means that I don't have restrictions?!"

"Don't try to tell me about what my father tell me to do! And don't you _dare_ try and tell me that you know even an ounce of how it feels to not be able to be with her!"

"Your right, you are a coward, Daddy's not even here and your still afraid to take her in your arms and hold her, your still afraid to even tell her you love her!"

"Fine! I love you Hermione Granger! Are you happy now!?" He yelled.

Then he realized what he had just said. His eyes widened, during the fight their faces had gotten dangerously close. He turned away and walked quickly towards the door but couldn't seem to open it. He struggled and pulled so hard that he thought he might pull the handle off.

"I put a locking spell on it before you came in." Hermione said softly from a few feet behind him.

Draco squared his shoulders, but didn't turn around. "Now you know, now please, take the spell off so that I can leave, and we can both forget this ever happened." he stated matter-of-factly.

Hermione stepped in front of him, but he continued staring straight ahead. She could see his eyes were shining with unshed tears. "You don't really want that." she said just above a whisper. It wasn't really a question, since they both knew the answer.

"It doesn't matter what I want. There's no other choice than to forget about this night." he said.

Hermione took his chin in her hand, and gently made him look down at her. She had a small smirk on her face, not to be mean, more like she knew something that he didn't yet. She rose up on her tip toes before he could realize what was happening, and placed a small kiss on his lips.

She pulled away only a few centimeters, and whispered "I love you too Draco."

He looked her in the eyes, and kissed her back. He poured all his love, and all his longing into that kiss and she shared her secret love back.

They were like that for a while, his arm reached around her waist, and her hand found the back of his neck. They pulled apart, and he looked into her eyes. "I love you, but you have to know that we can't be together." he said, defeated.

"I know that people can't know about us, yes." she said, a little breathless.

He looked at her strangely. "We _can_ be together Draco." she said, as if pleading for him to understand. "I have loved you ever since second year and I'm not going to let other people rip you away from me."

"But how? You don't really want to hide do you?" he asked.

"If it means that I get to be with you, then I'm more than happy to hide. Nobody will know about us. Draco please!" she pleaded.

Draco took a deep breath. "Ok Hermione. We have to act like we still hate each other in public though."

"I know that." she said, looking up at him with her big chocolate eyes.

"How will we be able to 'be together' if we're still acting like we hate each other? It will tear us apart, I just know it." he said, releasing his hold on her and looking towards the ground.

Hermione replaced his hand on her hip and turned his head so he was looking at her again. "We will have to meet secretly. Once a month if we can, possibly twice, but we can do this." she told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." she said, kissing him.

They stayed that night in the room of requirement, eventually falling asleep in each other's arms, and in the morning, after a final goodbye kiss, Hermione left to meet up with Harry, Ron, and Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, and Draco went to breakfast.

///////////sorry it took me so long to get back. I have to put up a little disclaimer here. I didn't write the poem, but I borrowed it from Invisible Comfort. Hope you guys enjoyed the new chappie! The reviews are really helping to inspire me, so thank you SO much! More would be much appreciated! I will be sure to update soon. Dramione forever!

~Serenity


End file.
